Analysis of St. Paul and The Broken Bones’ Don’t Mean A Thing

The song “don’t mean a thing” by St. Paul and the Broken Bones

The song “don’t mean a thing” by St. Paul and the Broken Bones was written in the mid-2000’s. It is a love song as it mainly speaks about love. The song is one that leaves the listener with a lot of emotions which is the primary purpose of the love songs. The artist, in this case, seems sad and heartbroken. Out of listening to the song, one can tell that the song is the form of a soul band that has some elements of rock music in it. This discussion attempts to give a clear analysis of the song and the intentions of the persona when writing the song.

The sad tone of the song

The tone that the artists chose to use in the song can be classified as a sad tone. By listening to the song, one can easily tell that the song is a sad one and full of emotions. The song portrays the pain and suffering that the artist has been going through and he seems to regret every bit of it. When the artist say that “Why did the light fade? Oh, it hurts so badly. These stones I throw broke this heart of glass, and my kingdom’s gone”, the lyrics depict that the writer of the song seems to have lost it all and is regretting ever getting into the relationship or the situation that caused him all the trials and the pain that he is currently undergoing. By just going through the lyrics of the song, one can easily tell that the singer is not happy at all and there is a lot of sadness in his tone after going through what he went through.

The matching tone and mood

The combination of the tone and the mood is a matching one. The sound and the spirit of the song are both emotional and sad. One can easily tell that the writer of the song is unhappy and he is on the verge of giving up. He seems to have lost it all in love and is not in the mood of giving it another single trial. Many love songs tend to be happy songs with a lively disposition, but in this case, the persona chose to provide the listeners with an atmosphere that is full of unhappiness and regrets. He claims that his kingdom is gone and the song does not give the listeners any hope that the persona is willing to try and revive the gone empire. He does not show any interest whatsoever in reviving his kingdom which leaves the persona without any reasonable doubts that he is not going to rekindle the relationship.

Social impact of the song

The song has a social impact in that it is very likely to influence on how people in the society deal with love and the issues of heartbreak. As the artist claims, he cannot come back until the morning sun. This shows that he still has some hopes left in him- hopes of finding love again though it might be in another dawn. The hopes act as an encouragement to the other members in the society that in one time or another they will still find love despite going through a series of trials, tribulations and heartbreaks.

The weakness of the persona

The persona does not believe how his life changed so fast. He is hurt when his lover leaves him. When he was in love, his life was so bright, but all of a sudden his life was dark. The persona has a weakness in love. The only pain he gets is that of love. He always crumbles at the foot of love. To love someone, one must have good knowledge of and the desired skills to love. The persona, at the foot of love, lucks all the ability and knowledge. That is why he crumbles when the topic of love is tabled. In the society, there is a rise in divorce cases. The persona tries to bring to light the question about divorce.

The persona’s fear for his kingdom

According to the persona, he fears for his Kingdom. He uses the work Kingdom to mean what he owns. His kingdom is falling at a faster rate. In the society, when one is heartbroken in love can lead to loss of property and those he or she loved. Everyone will have a fear of this. The persona hence fears for his kingdom. He has questions to answer: ‘why the light faded.’ Some reasons can bring darkness to a marriage in the society. The persona asks this question for someone to answers the endless about love. He tries to express his feelings in the song: ’it hurts so much.’ A divorce will bring sadness to an individual. The persona is hurt when his light suddenly fades. He uses the word ‘stone’ to mean his failures in love. These failures in love will lead to divorce. The two parties will disagree and break hearts.

The impact of divorce on society

In conclusion, the persona tries to show the society how divorce will bring sadness to the two parties. In the fourth stanza, the person pinpoints on reconciliation. He says that he will never heal from his wounds less he finds someone to fill the gap. Furthermore, in the last stanza, the persona felt tired and lost with the divorce that has brought a lot of pain in his heart. He can’t bear the pain he is going through less he finds someone to fill the gap. The song impacts the society. It brings the topic of divorce and how it brings sadness and loss of hope in some individuals. The persona tries to explain how his will crumbles. The goals set by people in the society will be held back by divorce.

Works cited

“St. Paul & the Broken Bones - Don’t Mean A Thing | OurVinyl Sessions.” YouTube, 5 Nov. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uWVIlSzxZY.